Hi. There we go. New year, new story.

No specific warning. Random rating as usual (I guess there might be some coarse language somewhere for those who mind).

The characters are all human. I couldn't pick a particular gender, so let's say it's "general" and you'll make your own mind about it.

Despite my hope, my English didn't turn great with the change of year so I needed help. ShadowMajin was fearless enough to agree to be my beta-reader. Thanks to him. Go read his story, he's a master in the art of twisting plot.

Enjoy.

SNAPSHOT

Prologue - Fun doesn't harm

"Always keep in mind, you're a photographer in the first place, no matter what people think of you"

Gohan nodded meekly at his father's speech. While speaking, Goku was focused on his camera as he was carefully fastening a huge lens on it. His gestures betrayed his obvious practice at the task. When he was done, the camera looked like an odd futuristic item. He kept manipulating the device to tune it further. He checked the result by aiming at bush a few steps away and seemed satisfied with his work.

He grinned at his son. "No one cares for a badly-framed, blurry picture in a crappy light, so you can't afford to be an amateur photographer. You have to be quick and self-assured when it's time to shoot," he added while closing the car's trunk with a tug.

He stuffed his camera in his fluffy jacket and zipped it up. Gohan blinked at his father's grotesque silhouette with the huge equipment stuck under the fabric. "Won't anyone guess you're planning to snap photos?" he asked in puzzlement.

Goku chuckled. "Nah. No one would even pay attention to me. That's a very important rule: always going unnoticed. Well, tonight your presence will help me somewhat. Who would suspect a quiet father wandering around with his boy on a nice summer night?"

Gohan felt awkward at the statement. He knew his mother would be mad if she ever learned about his Dad dragging him along tonight.

"Don't worry, Gohan. Everything's gonna be alright. It's fun, you'll see, and don't forget your Dad's the best," Goku reassured.

"I know. I was just thinking about Mum. You know how much she hates your job."

Goku laughed. "I know, but don't worry. We'll do no harm, Gohan, you know that, don't you?"

"I know. You only reveal the truth, no matter what," the boy answered with an uncertain smile.

Goku gave a forceful nod and looked proudly down at his son. "You got it, boy. Now, let's go, I wouldn't like to miss my chance." With that he grabbed the child's hand and strode away from the car.

Gohan followed him. The kid wasn't used to spending much time with his father especially since the divorce. Goku had always been busy with his job, even before the separation, and now the boy also suspected his mother was trying to keep him somehow at a distance. So, no matter how disapproving Chichi could be about what they were going to do, Gohan was glad to be involved.

They walked about three blocks and ended up standing at the entrance of a public park. Rather expectedly, the place was closed because of the late hour but Goku kept going along the grating until they found themselves in a shadowed area of the deserted street.

"From now on, we'll only whisper," he mumbled to his boy, pressing his index finger on his lips.

Then he scrutinized the top of the gate and jumped high enough to grab its edge. He climbed up effortlessly thanks to the bars until he was sitting astride the railings. He looked down at Gohan. The boy had a sheepish look, but his father reassured him.

"Don't worry, Gohan. There's nothing to fear. Trust me, I've done it a thousand time," he comforted him while stretching his hand out to him.

Gohan swallowed hard and took a deep breath before grasping his father's hand and climbing the gate. The metallic bars were somewhat slippery and his feet skid down at first, but Goku's strong grip was enough to hoist him up. Gohan sat next to his father with unease.

"Watch out that your clothes don't get stuck anywhere when you jump down," Goku whispered.

The boy contemplated the gap below. It was more than two meters high and he hadn't planned to "jump down" anytime soon, but he didn't dare objecting. When his father landed on the ground, a muffled thump echoed along with the noise of bushes getting stamped by the man's weight. The knot in the boy's guts hardened as the sound reminded him just how high he was sitting.

"Gohan! Hey, Gohan! Don't be afraid," his father's soothing voice murmured. "I'll catch you in flight, I'm just under you."

Gohan could hardly see him since there were no light at all and Goku was wearing dark clothes. He could just make out the man's figure at the foot of the gate. Yet, the boy was willing to show his father he was no longer a whimpering brat. He'd just turned 10 after all.

He closed his eyes and jumped. He felt his father's muscular arms around his waist and both of them stumbled down because of the momentum. Gohan was relieved to find out he hadn't been harmed in the process.

Goku made a small chuckle and struggled to his feet while dusting himself. He took back the camera he had rested further in the grass and wrapped its strap around his neck. He stuffed the device back underneath his jacket.

"We have to cross the whole park. The back of it looks out onto the target's garden," Goku explained in a low voice.

"Won't you tell me who the target is?" Gohan asked in obvious curiosity.

Goku winked at him with a broad grin. "Just follow me and you'll see. It might be fun."

Gohan did as he was told. He figured out his Dad knew exactly where they were heading. Goku had no second thought about which way to walk all by staying in dark area. He looked like a soldier sneaking in the enemy's camp. Gohan's heart was hammering in fear of being caught, but at the same time, the boy had to admit he felt a great excitement. His father's presence told him nothing bad could happen. It was all about a fun game.

At some point they reached a huge tree Gohan deemed to be an oak. A gate was proclaiming the limit of the park a few meters from its trunk, but some of the branches spread out over it.

Goku pointed his index finger upward to let his son know they would have to climb into the tree. He started the climb and Gohan followed wordlessly. The ascension wasn't very easy, but it was nothing near impossible when one didn't mind a few scratches. Although his mother insisted on him being a nerdy schoolboy, Gohan had always enjoyed physical effort. Thanks to his strong persistence, and maybe due to the guilt Chichi had felt after the divorce, she'd agreed that he would keep training at the town's dojo twice a week. He'd never thought he would be rewarded in such a situation, but he was proud to show his father he could do it without help.

When they reached a certain height, Goku crawled carefully on a branch stretching out to the gate. Gohan followed him, but after a while the branch became too thin to support them both and Goku beckoned to him to stop.

Gohan paused and waited for the next instruction. Yet, his father just sat there scrutinizing the darkness over the gate. It lasted a moment until he unzipped his jacket and took his camera out. "Now, this is the boring part. We'll have to wait. Try not to move and keep quiet," he whispered to his son.

Gohan frowned as he was wondering what they should be waiting for. Although they had a good sight of the area over the gate of the parks, all they could see was some vegetation plunged into a quiet twilight. Besides, they were so far from the target's supposed garden that it was unlikely that his father would be able to take any valuable picture at such distance.

However, he knew his father enough to trust him and he kept his opinion to himself.

Doing as he was told, Gohan's butt became numb very quickly. The place was really uncomfortable and the fact it was forbidden to move didn't help. Everything was dark and still, except for his father's quiet silhouette next to him.

The boy was wondering if Goku really knew what he was doing or if all this would end up being useless and disappointing. Just as he was mulling over this thought, bright lights were turned on all of a sudden. Gohan blinked and peered at the area over the gate of the park. He found out his father had been right. It was a nice, neat garden. From where Gohan was sitting, it looked big and countless lanterns were hanging up and there, flooding the place with a yellowish light.

Goku hadn't moved so far, but he was now busy with his camera and Gohan could hear weak clicks as he was handling the device.

A dog barked in the distance and they heard voices discussing like a faraway mumbling. Gohan held his breath as the idea that someone could find out they were perched in that tree surged in his mind instantly.

They were too far to see neither the dog nor the people though. After a while, the boy heard the sound of steps and a man's voice. At first, Gohan couldn't understand what he was saying, but his voice was the only one echoing as if he was talking alone or maybe on the phone. As the guy was coming closer, his words made their way to kid's ears. "Such a good dog. You were in a hurry, weren't you? Daddy has to apology for being so late tonight. He had serious matters to handle, but now he's here. How was your day, Buu?"

A bark answered his question. Gohan's lips twitched in a smile as he understood the walker was talking nonsense to his dog. The boy tried to lean closer in order to see him, but his view was shielded by his father and the vegetation. He could hardly make out a silhouette among the branches' outlines.

Goku's camera clicked in quick succession. The guy kept speaking to his dog. The animal was answering with joyful barks, which caused his owner's loud laugh.

Gohan frowned as this laughter sounded familiar to him, but he still couldn't put his finger on it.

The show kept going on for a good ten minutes until the man walked away with his dog, leaving a silent place behind. Only then, Goku turned to his son with a bright beam and put his thumb up letting the boy know that they were done and successful.

Getting the hint, Gohan started to climb down. He was in a hurry to see the result of his father's job, but Goku didn't take time to show him anything until they were out of the park and back to the car. Gohan felt incredibly excited.

As they were sitting side by side in the car, Goku at last took his camera out of his jacket. Gohan pointed out that his father's eyes were gleaming in glee.

"Let's see… did you recognize the voice?" he asked his son.

"Sort of. It reminded me of someone, but I still don't know"

Goku had a satisfied chuckle as he sorted out the pictures on his screen. Then he showed the device to his son.

Gohan's eyebrows arched in awe at first but then, he burst out of laugher. There he was, the great Hercule Satan walking his dog while wearing ridiculous pajamas made of a dotted pink flannelette along with glittering pushers. His face was lit up with the cheesiest smile ever as he was watching lovingly his dog pee on a bush. Truth to be told, it was far from the manly picture the strongest man of the World liked to show.

Goku was eyeing his son with jubilation as the child's laugh was filling him both with pride and happiness. "Ain't that fun?"

"Dad, I think you have the funnest job in the world. I don't know why Mum is so fussy about it," Gohan sighed.

"I'm glad you like it. Furthermore, this is gonna please the readers, believe me," Goku stated as he turned the camera off.

"You think your paper will publish it?" Gohan asked with a smile still on his face.

"I don't think so, I'm sure of it. I can even tell you they won't miss it," Goku answered while starting the car.

As they were driving through the floodlit streets of the town, Gohan felt a slight unease. Truth was he'd always liked Satan. Sure, the guy was a bragging big-mouth, but he was a Champion nonetheless. A lot of Gohan's friends at the dojo regarded him as a great star and an example and if Gohan hadn't been a Champion's son himself, he would certainly have been part of Satan's admirers as well. Now, the more he thought about the picture his Dad had just taken, the more it bothered him. "Dad, are you sure this is right to publish such a picture of Satan? I mean, won't it change the way people look at him somehow?" he asked with a hesitant voice.

"Maybe but they'll just look at him for what he really is, don't you think?" Goku replied with a shrug, "Besides, weren't you the first to laugh over that picture? It's just fun, boy. Fun doesn't harm."

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